I am making the pilgrimage to Flanders this spring to watch the race and ride the sportive. Thinking of getting my first set of tubulars for the occasion. 32H Ambrosio Nemesis with 25mm FMB Paris Roubaix. Would ride with pitstop or similar and a light-weight spare. Good idea or crazy to ride the sportive on tubies with no prior repair experience?
I know its a bit early, but I am excited for the classics!
Side-note - Would this also be a good bombproof wheelset for big alpine descents?
I just rode Hed Ardennes at a race in Belgium and really liked them. I came in last place, but the wheels felt great. Not sure I would want to risk flatting on the cobbles and not being able to finish.
Thats pretty much the “classic” combo. Two issues. The FMBs are expensive and you have a decent chance of flatting. They can be repaied but its a PITA. You may want to consider a more robust tubular such as some of the continentals for this ride. Will be a touch slower but more durable and cheaper.
2nd If you can fit them go with wider tires. For this ride the wider the better. I should be there also, look for a bunch of guys with GTC jerseys.
Hed-diddly Ar-doddly-dennes.
While I can totally relate to the idea behind your plan, and race on tubulars, the risk of flatting has a vastly higher negative for you than it does guys racing Flanders. As such, I’d get some nice wider rims and a good set of clinchers so you can more readily fix any flats you have while riding in comfort and style
I think that the chances of flatting a clincher are far greater than flatting a tubie at a place like Flanders. In such a case I’d for sure go with tubular even if you have no previous experience with them. Mounting a tubie on the road is not a special skill or ancient witchcraft, just pull off the old tire and put on the new.
I’ve also heard good things about tubeless options from some of my roadie buddies, but dont’ know anything about them.
Of course, depending on the bike, you could always hook up a nice file tread CX tire in a 32 and be smooth sailing the whole way.
I will look for you Styrrell - I am coming over from Singapore and can be identified by my excruciatingly slow speed and Team Chili Dumpling kit.
While I can totally relate to the idea behind your plan, and race on tubulars, the risk of flatting has a vastly higher negative for you than it does guys racing Flanders. As such, I’d get some nice wider rims and a good set of clinchers so you can more readily fix any flats you have while riding in comfort and style
This. 36 spoke Mavic Open Pro Ceramic with 28mm Conti GP 4 Season clinchers and sturdy tubes.
Have fun!
I rode a portion of the Paris Roubaix course in January. I was on a steel MTB and 40mm Continental Marathon tyres, after about 2 minutes I thought my teeth were going to be shaken loose.
Get the biggest tyres you can. The cobbles are very, very nasty indeed.
I have no idea how the pros do the whole thing on 28s.
One year, Andrea Tafi did P-R on 23mm tubs! Granted it was a dry race, but that just meant that the race was a faster one, meaning they bashed into the stones with greater force.
Low pressure and not giving a crap whether or not you destroy a rim helps, but ouch.
I rode the 150km version of the Ronde van Vlaanderan (Tour of Flanders, in English) sportive last year (Apr 2011). Amazing weather for Belgium.
I did it on my 23mm Continental GP4000s (clincher) mounted on my regular Mavic rims. No special preparation required. There are a fair number of places you could stop for assistance in getting a tire changed, if you need it. I didn’t really see hardly anyone (of the 20,000 that rode this year) having problems with flats.
However, what you need to worry about is your ability to handle the cobbles (about 10-15km total in many different sections…each of the climbs is cobbled). Not sure if you will do the 260km version or shorter options, but all of the cobbles are located in the last 120kms of the course (so you don’t really miss any climbs or cobbles by doing the 150km option…the 260km option just adds lots of flat paved roads to the beginning of the interesting part).
If you don’t have practice riding cobbles, you may want to have some wider tires (25mm or more). Guys on mountain bikes seemed to be pretty happy, while the rest of us were suffering over the cobbles. If you don’t mind slowing down, cobbles are no sweat. With a bit of practice (I force myself to hit a few cobble sections on a regular basis to practice), you can learn to pick the best lines and determine the best speed to even out the bumping.
As to how the pro riders do it…well, they are professionals. However, notice that they do the same (seeking out the best line, finding the right speed)…you will even see them ride off the cobbles onto the verges if the crowd is not too big.
I’ll do the Ronde again this coming year (2012), but will also hit the Liege-Bastogne-Liege sportive for good measure. (One advantage of living in Belgium…all of the best pro races have a sportive the day prior on the same course the professionals ride.)
Good luck and I hope you enjoy the ride.